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Samsung Galaxy Note 7
Samsung Galaxy Note 7 (marketed as Samsung Galaxy Note7) is an Android phablet smartphone produced and marketed by Samsung Electronics. Unveiled on 2 August 2016, it was officially released on 19 August 2016 as a successor to the Galaxy Note 5. The Galaxy Note 7 is an evolution of the previous model which inherits the hardware and improvements of the Samsung Galaxy S7, including the restoration of expandable storage and IP68 water resistance, and introduces new features to the series such as a dual-sided curved display, improvements to the bundled stylus and new software features which utilize it, an iris recognition system and a USB Type-C port. This was the only phone to be present on Hungry Ghost Festival in 2016. In addition, Samsung Galaxy Note 5 is also released during the Hungry Ghost Festival on 13 August 2015. The demand forces countries like Malaysia, Netherlands, Russia and Ukraine to delay their releases to September, later pulled out globally. After the Hungry Ghost Festival, on 2 September 2016, Samsung suspended sales for Note 7 and announced recall, after it was found that a manufacturing defect in the phones' batteries had caused some of them to generate excessive heat, resulting in fires. Note 7 was banned in their aircraft from charging, usage and check-in luggage, until a proper launch was taken in. The alternative is to take Xiaomi Mi 5 or Mi Max. Battery faults Battery defects caused many Note 7 units to overheat and combust or explode. In the original run of devices, the battery, produced by Samsung SDi, contained a design flaw that made electrodes on the top right of the battery susceptible to bending. This weakened separation between positive and negative tabs of the battery, thus results in thermal runaway and short circuits. The Galaxy Note 7 was re-versioned using batteries from China-based Contemporary Amperex Technology (CATL or ATL), which also supplies the batteries to the phone. Samsung said that on 23 January 2017 that these batteries had suffered from a manufacturing defect in the welding process, which pushed electrodes up and caused damage to the separation between the positive and negative tabs. Some batteries were also missing insulation tape entirely. Samsung reported that these oversights resulted from the vendor's push to ramp up production of the batteries for the replacement phones in order to meet demand. Due to battery defects, the device is considered a dangerous goods, and it is banned from airlines and movers, even if powered off. Initial reports On 31 August 2016, it was reported that Samsung was delaying shipments of the Galaxy Note 7 in some regions to perform additional tests being conducted in product quality, this came alongside user reports of batteries exploding while charging. On 1 September 2016, Samsung was preparing to recall the device worldwide due to these battery issues. Samsung exchanged the affected phones for a new revision, which utilized batteries sourced from a different supplier. However, after reports emerged of incidents where these replacement phones also caught fire, Samsung recalled the Galaxy Note 7 worldwide on 10 October 2016, and permanently ceased production of the device on 11 October. Due to the recalls, Samsung has issued software updates in some markets that are intended to "eliminate their ability to work as mobile devices", including restricting battery capacity, and blocking their ability to connect to wireless networks. A company spokesperson stated that it had received 35 reports of battery failure, which "account for less than 0.1 percent of the entire volume sold". Samsung stated that the hazard was limited to a small fraction of phones manufactured, and released a tool on its website on 19 September to identify affected units by their unique IMEI numbers. The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued an advisory on 8 September 2016, that passengers should not turn on or charge these devices on board aircraft. The European Aviation Safety Agency have made a similar statement on 9 September, stating that "passengers are reminded of the need to inform the cabin crew when a device is damaged, hot, produces smoke, is lost or falls into the seat structure". First recall On 12 September 2016, the Galaxy Note 7 was officially recalled in the U.S. by the Consumer Product Safety Commission, who advised all owners to shut down and cease all usage of the device, and return them in exchange for a replacement. On 13 September 2016, Samsung announced in newspaper advertisements that it would release a software patch to the affected Galaxy Note 7 devices in South Korea, which prevents the device from being charged beyond 60% capacity to reduce the risk of combustion. The Galaxy Note 7 was subsequently re-issued with batteries supplied by the Chinese company Amperex Technology Limited (which also serves as the main battery supplier for the iPhone line). These replacement models, which Samsung purportedly classified as being safe, had a prominent marking on their packaging to distinguish them from the first wave of recalled units, and render all software battery indicators with green icons. Samsung was granted special permission by Google to allow this change, as it would normally violate the requirements of the Android Compatibility Definition Document (which must be met to license Google Mobile Services software and Android trademarks) for all status bar icons to only be rendered in white. Following the announcement of the recall, Verizon Wireless released a software update to Galaxy Note 7 units purchased from the carrier, which displays the aforementioned green icons on safe devices, and an embedded recall notice on affected devices when the device is plugged in. Unlike the South Korean update, it does not include a charging cut-off. However, Samsung stated that 95% of the users choose to remain their loyalty to the company. Issues with the replacement phones In October 2016, several incidents occurred in which replacement Galaxy Note 7 phones still suffered from battery failure and combustion. A Galaxy Note 7 owner in Kentucky was hospitalized with acute bronchitis due to smoke inhalation, after his replacement device caught fire in the early morning of 4 October. The owner told a local television station that he had received a text message not meant for him from a Samsung customer service representative, which read "Just now got this. I can try and slow him down if we think it will matter, or we just let him do what he keeps threatening to do and see if he does it". On 5 October 2016, a flight preparing to depart from Louisville was evacuated prior to takeoff when a passenger's replacement Galaxy Note 7, obtained from an AT&T retail outlet, began smoking and popping as they were turning it off. Samsung stated that they were working with Southwest Airlines to investigate the incident, but stated that they would be unable to confirm whether the device was a replacement model until it was recovered. Two days later, a third replacement phone in Minnesota has reportedly caught fire in a same manner. Second recall and discontinuation On 10 October 2016, following reports of several replacement phones still catching fire, and major U.S. carriers pulling the Galaxy Note 7 from sale pending investigations of these incidents, Samsung announced a second worldwide recall of all devices, and suspended sales of the phone once more. On 11 October 2016, Samsung announced that it would permanently cease production of the Galaxy Note 7. The British Royal Mail also did not accept Samsung Galaxy Note 7 deliveries, together with eBay and Gumtree. On 14 October 2016, the US Federal Aviation Administration and the Department of Transportation's Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration banned the Note 7 from being taken aboard any airline flight, even if powered off. This includes Singapore Airlines, Jetstar Asia, Silkair, AirAsia and Tiger Airways, to prevent bringing damaged or defective lithum-ion batteries into the aircraft. In addition, Amtrak also banned Samsung Galaxy Note 7. In response to the ban, Samsung announced that it would set up dedicated kiosks at selected airports, to allow travelers to exchange or receive a refund for their Galaxy Note 7 on-site before they depart, rather than having their phone confiscated by security or airport staff. On 15 January 2017, Samsung announced that it had released an update, barring any charging beyond 15% and throughout transportation. On 24 March 2017, Samsung announced that it had been releasing another update, preventing charging of the device. After the discontinuation of the Note 7, some features in the device (such as Samsung Pass, Secure Folder, S Pen related features, and Grace UX) were eventually available in Marshmallow (e.g. Galaxy A8 (2016), Galaxy A (2017) series and Galaxy Tab A 10.1 (2016)) and Nougat (e.g. Galaxy Note 5 (via software update), Galaxy S8/S8+ and Galaxy C Pro series). Note FE In June 2017, the Wall Street Journal reported on Samsung's plan to refurbish its inventory of recalled phones and release them with a new model designation of Galaxy Note 7 FE, with the "FE" referencing "Fan Edition." The date for this release is early July in South Korea, with limited availability in other countries to follow, and a reported street price of approximately $615, a $250 discount from the original price. The Fan Edition will have a smaller battery of 3200 mAh and multiple safety features. It has a "Fan Edition" logo on the back. The software will be similar to the S8. It has a similar UI and includes Bixby home and reminders but not the whole Bixby assistant. (It will also have the Snapdragon 821 instead of the 820 in Snapdragon locations). It has been put through a 8-point battery safety test. Third party analysis suggests the phone is identical except for a physically smaller battery with a lower capacity.